Hello forum, I'm enjoying this game a lot but a few basic things are puzzling me and I'd appreciate it if anyone could take the time to help. I'm playing a Shadows Pre-Warp start if that makes any difference.

1. I've found an abandoned frigate on the edge of my starting system, but my exploration ships won't touch it. I tried directing them right next to it, but the missions showed no option to investigate. I even researched Ship Boarding, but that didn't help either.

2. I cannot find any way to check the resource and knowledge requirements of developments enabled by future techs. For instance, I thought that researching Colonization would enable me to build colony ships, not realising that I'd need a couple more levels in ship construction because the colony module is big. I feel like this sort of information should be in Galactopedia, but I can't find it.

3. Things like economics, and what resources are in demand, seem rather opaque. In the brief period of time I've played, my cashflow went into negative for a little while, then righted itself, for no reason I could discern; similarly with the fluctuations in ship purchase price.

4. There are pirates in my system, but I've no idea how to go about finding them. Is this a job for a secret agent? I briefly paid them protection while I built some military, but they haven't come round since I stopped giving them money. I'd like to winkle them out.

This is a highly engaging game so far; I'm really hoping it might be the space game I've been looking for.